1. Principle of photocatalysis

1.1 Definition

Ethymologically, the term photocatalysis is derived from three Greek words: phôtos (light), kata (down or back) and lysis (dissolution or decomposition).

Photocatalysis is therefore the action of a substance called a "photocatalyst" which, under the action of light, increases the speed of a thermodynamically possible chemical reaction without intervening in the reaction's balance equation.

Nowadays, the term "photocatalysis" refers more specifically to "heterogeneous photocatalysis" in which the photocatalyst is a semiconductor (most often titanium dioxide, TiO ₂ ), not a transition metal molecule or complex.

You do not have access to this resource.

Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!

You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!

Already subscribed? Log in!

The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference

A Comprehensive Knowledge Base, with over 1,200 authors and 100 scientific advisors

+ More than 10,000 articles and 1,000 how-to sheets, over 800 new or updated articles every year

From design to prototyping, right through to industrialization, the reference for securing the development of your industrial projects

This article is included in

Functional materials - Bio-based materials

This offer includes:

Knowledge Base

Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees

Services

A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources

Practical Path

Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills

Doc & Quiz

Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading

Subscribe now!

Ongoing reading
Principle of photocatalysis

Previous
page Photo-catalysis: water or air depollution and self-cleaning materials

Characteristics of the most widely used photocatalyst: titanium dioxide

Bibliography

(1) - FUJISHIMA (A.), ZHANG (X.), TRYK (D.) - TiO ₂ photocatalysis and related phenomen. - Surf. Sc. Rep., 63, 515-582 (2008).
(2) - ISMAIL (A.), KANDIEL (T.), BAHNEMANN (D.) - Novel (and better?) titania-based...

Websites

KINGSLEY (M.), DAVIDSON (J.) - Gaseous indoor pollutants, http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me5115/notes/ClassChemicals.pdf
MOSQUERON (L.), NEDELLEC (V.) - Inventaire des données françaises sur la qualité de l'air à l'intérieur des bâtiments, Observatoire de la qualité de l'air intérieur,...

Events

European Photocatalysis Days, JEP2009, Bordeaux,

http://www.photocatalysis-federation.eu/consult-the-archives.html

European Photocatalysis Days, JEP2011, Bordeaux,

http://www.photocatalysis-federation.eu/jep2011/

Standards and norms

AFNOR Test method for evaluating photocatalytic materials with respect to NOx degradation – Single-pass method in tangential mode AFNOR XP B44-011, December 2009

ISO: Test method for air purification- performance of semi-conducting materials- Part 1: removal of nitric oxide ISO/DIS 22197-2, 2007.

UNI: Determination of the catalytic degradation of nitrogen oxides in...

Regulations

Health and safety regulations: www.inrs.fr/inrs-pub/inrs01.nsf/IntranetObject-accesParReference/INRS-FR/$FILE/fset.html

Commission Directive 2009/161/EC of December 17, 2009 establishes a third list of 19 indicative occupational exposure limit values in application of Council Directive 98/24/EC and amending Directive 2000/39/EC. Member States have until December 18, 2011 to transpose this directive...